Amazing big buddy heater hack
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- How to convert your big buddy fan from D cell batteries to usb.
As always all tips and tricks are do at your own risk and use the proper ppe when working with low voltage. Happy tinkering here are a few of the items used.
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I would recommend using a stove fan. They run off of pure heat. No electricity necessary. Just attach it to the top of the heater. There are some TH-cam videos showing this hack.
That's a better hack for the Little Buddy since it doesn't have a built-in fan.
@@netposerxyeah if there’s an internal fan in your buddy heater then I’d do this.
I have a stove fan and it works great but it is definitely nice to have another option.
Shit I had to buy a separate back panel for my big buddy because in California they cannot sell them with the internal fan from Mr Heater. But you can buy a factory back panel with all the electronics installed and just remove the old one and screw on the new panel.
This is a good idea, but if you want to use the built in fan then just use alligator clips instead of cutting up wires. No need to take the heater apart either.
It appears you cut off two female spade connectors and replaced them with... two female spade connectors. You state (and partially show) that the new female connectors fit over the two male blades protruding from the battery box.
So why not leave the original ones on?
I was wondering the same thing.
First thing I saw also, cut off female and add female, other than a case around the male pug in there is no need for that I can see, but I would use different male connectors with open spade
I feel new in both places, makes me feel happier in the end. You know the connection is good every were.
@@anitablades6033 So no other reason except in your piece of mind, ok at least we know your reasoning, thanks for the video
@@bcpioneer59 Hi, you might understand my thoughts if you watch this vid, it's something that has happened to me. It's ( Nomadic Fanatic - repairs continue ) Nomadic's problems are still on going. My problem ended on a wire in the back tail light that had rotted on the inside but Looked great on the outside.
2:58. Return this back to factory...
Not Quite. Factory will easily see the mod.
Better way would be to use aux jack on back and keep all mods external or stacking piggy back terminals on interior mod.
Why not feature your mod using aux jack or even D-Cell fakes wired to USB?
Then you wouldn't need disclaimer.
lol...you totally missed what he was saying. He was saying you could return it back to factory condition using D batteries, not return it back to the factory!
These is a 1/8" phono plug on the heater back. Could have made a USB to phono cable and done the same thing and never turned a screw. I used to run mine off of a cheap harbor freight solar charge controller and it was like 3.5V 6 V and 9V gave me three fan speeds.
I just tried a 1/8" mini plug, without checking it first, and it is too big for mine. The plug on my Mr. Heater 120V adapter (Part number F276127) for the heater is .100 dia. X 13/32nds long, not .125 dia. X 9/16ths long for the 1/8" phone plug.
This is actually a much better idea.
Save yourself alot time , buy a USB cord with the 3.5 mm charger male end for variety of things and it works great 👍, no need to change anything. Winner winner chicken dinner
Why not get a 1/8" male plug from radio shack and wire your usb cord to it and then just plug it in the original jack?
My thoughts EXACTLY as soon as he started taking screws out !!
Because RadioShack just sells cell phones now 🤣
use some sticky velcro tape to fix the power pack to the back of the Buddy heater
Why not just jump into the connected wires. Can be done with as little as a cigarette lighter and some electrical tape.. then burn the tape for a heat shrink, shrink tube effect (works excellent, unless u dont want people goin in there to make sure it looks state of the art)
And that big jump box battery is going to outlast your dam propane, so then youll stay cooler when u wtd to stay warmer : )
I would like to know the duration of the original "D" cells continuous run time till dead and same test w/ various USB battery bricks. My guess is the D cells will run nearly as long as USB brick. Advantage is the USB battery can be recharged...
And.. why not just use the plug in adapter and put a make a male mini plug there. USB puts out 5v DC, D cell 6v DC. No inside wiring necessary.
I've always just used alligator clips and clip to the tab and spring inside the battery compartment works and don't need to take it apart... but for a more permanent solution this one is good. Nice job.
I like that too, as nothing else than a way not to do both batteries and external power.
Yea alligator clips is good too. I never thought of that and i have some . I have many 20v 5amp dewalt batteries with a usb adapter DCB090 so that you can charge your phone with the battery . This is perfect for this along with alligator clips. Thanks
Does no one know there is a 3.5mm aux power input in the heater
@@fuzzyelm1 yep if you want to cut the plug end off and hook up to that you could… but since no electrical plugs out in the woods this was easier for me than buying an adapter just to cut the wires. Thanks for watching.
@@BigRedFishDad easier ? That’s a damn joke !
And to think you would ge so stupid they you waited till you was in the woods and that you would actually think taking everything apart and adding new ends the same as the ones you just cut off shows me all I needed to know , so I stand behind my remark that this is exactly how NOT to do this
Maybe someone already said this, but there’s already cables that go from USB to the 6v input (on the back)…I had a few from over the years and they all worked…you probably got one (w/ an adapter) with the “booster pack”.
Still a smart idea though
Great Idea ! ! BUT ??? You are clearly cutting off FEMALE connector to just replace them with an other Female...??? Are they smaller?
What was the point of cutting off the original female terminals? Couldn’t you just put male connectors on the usb wires and achieved the same result?
Bone head.. is why
Why cut off a female connector to replace it with female connectors?
Because like I said in previous comments the male end fits better.
I wouldnt have removed the wires from the battery box but thats me. I would have piggy backed that cell phone wire into the battery connection. A piece of velcro would be good to stick the small jump pack onto the back of the heater. No idea is really wrong if it works.
Why not just solder a bullet plug onto the USB cable and use the same jack that the wall adaptor would plug into? Then you could use batteries, the wall adaptor, or USB without modifying the unit itself and removing the battery operation as an option.
I feel you should have tied a knot in the wire or put some kind of restraint to prevent it getting yanked out of the heater after assembly.
Agreed. Some type of strain relief could prevent having to redo those connectors!
Good stuff buddy! I found a round power bank on clearance at Walmart for $3 that fits right into the battery compartment. In fact you could fit 2 in there and swap when one dies out.
Also go on ebay u can get usb covers that go on your batteries for your drill to power usb devices they are like 10 bucks way cheaper than those usb batteries and last longer and they can run your shack lights and charge your phone
Can you post a link please?
Hey Man,
Nice hack. I just did it to my Big Buddy (Yellow Front. My fan quit working years ago and I finally figured out how to fix it. The little plastic mounting posts had broken off and the fan was just floating inside. I cut away what was left of the plastic posts and then drilled a hole in the center of each one. I used three machine screws with a lock washer and a nut. Then the little bolts stick out the back and I put another lock washer and a nut. Better than new.
DO NOT BUY THE AC ADATER THIS HACK WILL SAVE YOU $$$
I was looking for a video on how to replace thermocouple and pilot and I came across your hack and seeing as I just fixed the fan this was perfect. I made a couple of modifications. I have a soldering iron so I connected the USB and Battery wires together, like you showed. I soldered them and taped them and then used a shrink wrap tape to cover up to the spade. This way I do not have to switch wires for different power supplies. I left the USB wire long so I can use a USB power block and plug into electrical outlet. I have the portable USB battery also and it works great.
Thanks again for a great idea. Either way you connect it , it is a great idea.
Why not leave battery connected just parallel the you can use eather without having to open again.
Yup.. or aligator clip and jump from the battery terminals in the battery door
that little fan isnt even worth the Mod i am going to put a bigger fan inside mine that has more CFM
I've used 140mm computer tower fans powered by an ac/dc adapter at the most power they can take. I made a little flat piece of metal with a clip on the bottom and mounted 2 140mm fans side by side and it clips to the handle of a Big Buddy or Portable Buddy. It works pretty good when you don't want the heater extremely close to you for whatever reason. At 5-6 feet away it does enough to get the heat over to you while the space(my camper for instance) starts warming up. So I stay warm while my wife's computer overheats hahahaha!!! Just kidding.
Cool hack. Couple thoughts. USB is 5 volts. Four D batteries are 6 volts. No consideration as to current draw on the USB cord either. Obviously it works fine but made me wonder when watching. Thanks
I never found the fan to do anything but make noise. I dont know why they even bothered with it. It doesnt push hardly any air at all.
Makes a big difference in small spaces like and ice house for me at least
@@JDSOutdoors Same, the fan heats up my hunting shack quicker than without it
The fan moves more air than no fan, but yea, not a whole lot.
@@JDSOutdoors works good for me as well in my deer stand or ice fishing shack
ok what doesnt make sense is that you cut off a female connector and replaced it with another female connector....one step that didnt need to be done
Been explained several times in the comments on why. Fitment
Just use your 6volt deer feeder battery with a 3.5 mm single jack or 3.5 mm head phone with double plug you will just need to see what wires make the fan work for the double ring tip recharge battery as needed
Absolutely I have a video on that setup as well
you only need 2 male spade connectors , snipping the original ends off is a pointless step keep the original female ends and just put the male ends on the usb cable.
Hmm! I just plug my adapter into my inverter from my solar panels. But in a pinch, this thought process not necessarily helpful here. Could be used for sure. Power banks, on any size, can be VERY useful. Good vid. It opens options and eyes.
To save alot of work, you could just make an adapter to plug into the auxilliary power jack (at 2:02). Just solder a male mono mini -phone connector, (3.5mm, 1/8 ") to a male usb plug. Connect the positive red wire of the usb to the tip of the male mono mini -phone connector, then connect the negative black wire of the usb to the remaining case terminal of the male mono mini -phone connector. Then you can use it to connect to what ever portable device you have. (Be sure to remove the big buddy D cell batteries, before using the adapter, you can use either one power source or the other, but not both.)
I just tried a 1/8" mini plug, without checking it first, and it is too big for mine. The plug on my Mr. Heater 120V adapter (Part number F276127) for the heater is .100 dia. X 13/32nds long, not .125 dia. X 9/16ths long for the 1/8" phone plug. "Measure twice, cut once."
Should be a 2.5mm single barrel cable
Surprised one is not made with USB
Awesome, there's a guy on Facebook selling the same setup. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome,no need to install and replace heavy d cells or forget to remove them long-term 😀
Can you split the wire from the battery to have it where you can plug in the USB or put in batteries without having to take it apart?
Yes it’s what he should’ve done.
Only problem would be if you plugged it in with batteries in the unit...
I assume D cell batteries are 1.5 volts x 4 = 6 Volts - I believe USB would only produce 5 volts. If so would USB under drive the fan and could that hurt the fan?
Why not use these on the USB cable: www.amazon.com/Glarks-Semi-Insulated-Terminals-Connectors-Assortment/dp/B01E5TXX8C/ref=lp_306733011_1_13?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1606674089&sr=1-13
This way no change to the OEM wiring and you could leave the USB cable always connected, make a hole for it to come out or make a cable that is in 2 pieces.
Just seems like you went the long way and you need to open up the unit for access each time.
And as others have said, why cut off female to put on female?
Or you could just put some alligator clips on a USB plug and clip them to the battery connectors. No need to take the heater apart or cut the wires. You can do this for most battery powered items that take 5-6 volts.
This was not well thought out. There are easier ways to accomplish this. Also easy to but the newest LiPO "d" cells and get the same thing with zero work! 😂
Have seen many hacks for a fan that basically ,doesn't move any air.One previewer left a piece of toilet paper in front,fan didn't move it.A separate battery powered or heat activated fan seem to work better.
From what I understand, the fan is 6 volt and usb power is 5 volt. The fan may run at a lower rpm and not like the voltage drop.
You would be right on the voltages but it runs and operates as normal even at 5v
Voltage is close enough
You know you can use A thermal fan that will go on the stove needs no batteries electricity
You know thats one extra thing to carry right ? Why not use the fan thats already in it.
@@JDSOutdoors yes…. But it’s it the same thing when your carrying around a battery too and then finding some way to charge it once it’s drained. The fan doesn’t use any power but the thermo heat from the unit.
@@iiinsaiii battery fits inside the heater side panels and lasts all weekend no problem. Charges easily at home when you recharge your electronics.
Awesome... what is that power pack you are using? How many Volts? Where to get? Thanks!
That is a portable power box I built. There is a diy video of it on my diy playlists
@@JDSOutdoors At the 00:48 second mark, those packs
@@DAVESLAM those are jump starter packs for jumping your car or the black one is for charging your cell phone. Sold at just about every big box store
Id like to see where you can use the heat to charge a battery bank or phone. Calling all electrical whizzes .
John,
Do a video break down with the USB add to the Bubble Maker! While the concept is the same, the visuals always help. Even opening up the bubble maker and showing what you dd inside would be good. No reason to do it all over gain.
Great vid.
Okay, a little help here. I used the power cable to my Galaxy S2 Tablet to no avail. Have solid connection to the Buddy Heater and plug into the battery pack and wall jack - nothing happens - reconnect put 4 D batteries fan starts up. What did I do wrong? Does it need to be a telephone charging cable? Will an Apple phone charging cable work? Thanks
Sorry - I thought I had a tight connection. Those small wires are difficult to tighten.
Or you can just use a woodstove fan that uses no power
Sure if you wanna spend 100 bucks on one.
Awesome hack! Thumbs up'd and Subbed 🇺🇸
Just put a fan in front... That lil fan inside aint worth crap
Idk man that little fan works great for me
@@JDSOutdoors Ditto, works good for me as well
Great video! Thank you for taking your time to make this. I had a quick question..
So the heater fan uses 6 volts, can you just use a cube that plugs into a wall and plug that USB cable into the wall cube? In other words.. do the cubes reduce the voltage and convert it? They must right?? And if I do what you did here, could I just use a cube plugged into the wall to power the fan? Or
Will it be too much voltage and ruin the fan?
Thank you again 👍
Okay the outlet on the back that that I'm sure uses a transformer to the wall could of been used without changing any internals right! I'm just saying for the ease of mind, ordering a simple 12v car battery or 5v usb.. could of been shot through the power supply! If I were to do this i'd but a universal witch is pre wired and adjustable voltage. So should be easy to splice or may even already have a usb connect depending on what you buy... Idk just thinking out loud! But if I were making it permanently part of the heater.
I'd look into the custom battery packs lithium ion without batteries and buy the high drain batteries. I just know there several all wired up, so those without the tools could still do this! Buy one that fits in were the D batteries go! Maybe do to batteries packs/ to switch out when other pack is dead!
Just did mine thanks brother!
How about crimping all the positives to one female connector and all the negative wires to another female connector. Plug them back in to their respective terminals.
Use 2 less connectors and not have to take the back off to switch wires to use D-cells when desired.
You have a backup plan of sorts.
And if you are using button top NiMH batteries, you might even be able to recharge them off a power bank.
Am I missing something..why did you cut female ends of and pout female ends back on is it necessary?
Yep your missing the 1000 other comments explaining how the new ones fit together better. Thanks for the view.
Fan-tastic!!!
Good job! Nice mod.
👍👍👍👊😎
Always awesomeness stuff JDS Outdoors ✌👍⬆️
I would like to see it run off a DeWalt battery, especially 60v
Voltage buck converter.
Only question I have is ,does the voltage matter? Because I think the battery voltage is only 6 volts.
USB puts out a max of 5 volts. So even though the USB is hooked to a 12v source the fan is only getting 5v eliminating the need for a voltage step down regulator
@@JDSOutdoors Great, Thank You!
My buddy heater doesn’t have a fan but I got a small portable stove fan powered by heat that I attach to the buddy heater.
I just use a wood stove thermal fan. No batteries needed. Just heat from it operating runs the fan.
Can you plug ur USB into 110 adaptor and still run it safely ?thanks
Works like a charm!!! Thanks!
thanks
That did not make sense y did you cut off the factory connection lol
It would make sense if you read the 1000 other comments explaining why
Amazing!
Love the hacks and videos you do. Cool trick.
Thank you bro
Why didn’t you use piggy back spade lug connectors? Then there’s not any need to cut the factory connectors off and they stay plugged in if you want to use your D cells.
What model is this I got one but it didn't. Have the fan inside
It's the pre 2019 big buddy. The 2019+ no longer have fans unfortunately
@@JDSOutdoors oh dang ok is there a kit to buy ?
@@JustMe619toby I'm not sure but I'm very tempted to buy a new one and customize it
@@JDSOutdoors dang wish I knew one of the main reasons I bought the big buddy was cause of your video
@@JustMe619toby I also just bought a big buddy that didn't have the fan - their website stated this was due to recent tariffs. I went ahead and purchased a new back panel which included the fan kit from www.tesstools.net/. The link is here - www.tesstools.net/78404_COVER_BACK_WITH_FAN_MH18B_GRAY_p/mrh-78404.htm I have installed it using the same 4 screws. It works. Now I will use some of the damaged USB phone charging cables to do this hack.
I did have 2 questions for @JDS Outdoors:
(1) Why do you need to add the females to the unit? Wouldn't the EOM ones still work? I'm guess no, but wanted to ask.
(2) the phone charging cables I have, have 3 small wires inside Red/White/Green or Grn/Wht / White / Bare - is one a ground? Should I try finding a different cable?
So question what is the runtime using this hack compared to using four D cell batteries?
Days instead of hours
Also would using rechargeable d cell batteries work as well?
@@michaelhara5139 they absolutely would.
Hell yeah damn awesome better than keep buying them d battery’s I’m so doing this to my big buddy thanks for sharing
Thanks
I did a similar hack.....I incorporated using the little port so if I ever need the batteries, I can still use them. When using the power pack...I put it right inside the battery compartment with a small spacer so it could never touch both contacts.
Thanks
Using the port is a great option. I figured this way gives more people the opportunity to do this mod
JDS Outdoors For sure...its a little bit of a bugger to solder those thin wires.
Thanks for all your ideas!
@CG34 my first build power box
Great idea! Thank you sir!
Cool trick…. I’ll be doing that
Do you have something similar for the little buddy heater
Little buddy doesn't have a fan, does it?
google stove fan
Thank you for fast forwarding is off and as you did
Do you suggest installing the wood stove fan on top of the Big buddy heater, or you think the internal fan would be enough to move the hot air in a small space?
I've been happy with the built in fan but I hear the wood stove fan works better but can't confirm
Why not just use t taps to tap into the existing factory positive and negative? That way you only need to crimp on to the USB cable and you're done
More than one way to skin a cat
That's very true. I just wasn't sure if there was a reason for doing it the other way
I use a thermo electric fan
they dont come with battery operated fans anymore.
They sure do. They just released a fan model again.
@@JDSOutdoors i dont see it on amazon
Thank you for the great instruction video
Great video 👍
Why would you need to do this?
Nice one!
Thank you for your time , I will be Warmer for it.
Awesome hack!! where do you get those double ended connectors for replacement of a single connector?
Maybe Amazon will have something🤨
Just splice into the sides of those wires?
Dude!! Soo many more ideas you just gave me. Thanks for the video
Where can I find one of those jump box and the name of it please been trying to find one but no luck
Walmart sells that one. Amazon as well
@@JDSOutdoors thanx I will check it out
So I can do this without converting 6 volt to 12 volt like in your previous video?
Yes because usb puts out only 5v
@@JDSOutdoors thanks!
Thanks
Overly complicated. Just hook up the usb to the male connector that fits the big Buddy. If you have to adjust the voltage use a BEC. What this guy has done is likely to cause explosive sparks next to leaking propane bottles. Don’t blow yourself up.
All the usb cords I cut off had 4 wires in them not 2 and the wires were so tiny I couldn’t even strip them without them breaking
Gotta use a cheap non fast charging/data cable
@@JDSOutdoors ok thanks I’ll try that
Yep, after cutting 3 different cords, none of them had 2 wires, all had 4. Guess I never got "cheap" USB charging cords. To bad, because I really wanted to try this hack. Oh well.
@@cmaccowan76 you can still use the 4 wire ones. Just gotta find continuity for which 2 are +/-
Genius hack. Thank you!
No it aint lol
I just use the AC adapter. Strong power & no battery needed. Of course, that's only for home use.
most people would as well. However the buddy heater is an outdoors heater with propane and many will use it for hunting, ice fishing etc,
Why not just cut the end off of an ac adapter and wire the usb into that?
Nice!!!
Color me confused. I thought the fan assembly part wasn’t sold in the USA due to some weird law. Is this a Canadian only video or am I missing something?
Nope this is in the US. They did however stop selling it with the fan last year
@@JDSOutdoors - Story of my life.
@@JDSOutdoors - Q. Is there any way to buy the unit with the fan and battery option in the states?
@@Erin-Thor not anyone. 2 years ago yes
@@JDSOutdoors - I feel like I’m bothering you... sorry if I’m a pest. They sell these in Canada still, right? What’s stopping me from taking a trip to Canada, buying one or two, and taking it home? I’m not risking prison am I? 🤣
What is the fan runtime difference?
Depends on your power pack. Hours to days longer.
YOU ~ ROCK ! !
Hi
Just found your video and subscribed because I just bought a mr heater. Clever, very clever. I’ll have to watch a few more times before I’ll try it. Moved back to Maine after being in Florida, it’s wicked cold! 🥶❄️⛄️🥶. Thanks!
Not cleaver at all ! Tgis os a waste of time
Kind of lost me when cutting off factory female connectors and putting 2 the same back on. Duh....
Also, what voltage is the fan and voltage of power packs?
I'm sure the A/C adapter is 6 or 12V
The factory connectors dont fit and nicely inside the new male connectors...
Fan is 6v and usb puts out 5v